Finalised assessment of South African round herring, using data from 1987 to 2021

A quantitative stock assessment of the round herring (Etrumeus whiteheadi) population distributed off the west and south coasts of South Africa, and assuming recruitment occurs in multiple cohorts each year, is presented. The baseline model estimates the November total biomass to have increased since 2014, and the exploitation rate between 2011 and 2021 to be at most 2%. A number of sensitivity tests to a baseline model are also shown, with exploitation rate being estimated to be at most 5% for a conservative alternative (RH_west). These will be taken into account in proposing a rule to be used to provide management advice.